Department of Health and Social Care

Hospitals: Coronavirus

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what actions they took to improve (1) the efficacy, and (2) the capacity, of hospital ventilation systems following the publication of the report by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch COVID-19 transmission in hospitals: management of the risk – a prospective safety investigationin October 2020.

Lord Bethell: The current National Health Service infection prevention control principles recommend healthcare settings undertake a series of interventions to reduce the risk of transmission of infection, including on cleaning and decontamination of the environment and shared equipment and on ventilation.In addition, the Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) 03-01: Specialised ventilation for healthcare premises is currently being updated and is going through final draft review and approval processes as is normal for all technical guidance. HTMs give comprehensive advice and guidance on the design, installation and operation of specialised building and engineering technology used in the delivery of healthcare.

Visual Impairment: Social Distancing

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support and advice is available to visually impaired people in relation to social distancing guidelines and requirements.

Lord Bethell: We have published support and advice regarding social distancing for blind and visually impaired people in an online only format. The guidance explains how to minimise the risk of spreading COVID-19 while in unfamiliar settings, communicating with others, shopping and exercise. This guidance has been developed to permit support, including guiding, to be given whilst mitigating the risk of transmission as far as possible, informed by the available clinical evidence.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure patients in rural areas receive the COVID-19 vaccination in a timely manner; whether any such steps take into account the (1) isolation of such patients, and (2) the distances such patients have to travel tomedical facilities.

Lord Bethell: Currently, in England, more than 98% of the population is within 10 miles of a vaccine service. In a small number of highly rural areas, the vaccination centre will be a mobile unit. The mobile model helps more remote rural communities, particularly those where public transport is limited.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Baroness Wheatcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the provision ofvaccines against COVID-19 for (1) elderly, or (2) vulnerable, patients hospitalised for other conditions.

Lord Bethell: By mid-February we successfully offered a first vaccine dose to everyone in the top four priority groups identified by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation as follows:- all residents in a care home for older adults and their carers;- all those 80 years of age and over and frontline health and social care workers;- all those 75 years of age and over; and- all those 70 years of age and over and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals. The latest NHS England data dated 4 March shows that 7,300,964 individuals aged 70 years old or over have been vaccinated with at least one dose and 1,961,501 clinically extremely vulnerable patients have been vaccinated with at least one dose. This means 88.3% of the population identified as clinically extremely vulnerable have received at least one dose. We do not hold figures for vulnerable patients hospitalised for other conditions, but hospital hubs will typically vaccinate eligible inpatients where clinically appropriate.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to answerthe Written Question asked byBaroness Deech on 8 February (HL13065); for what reasons their answer has been delayed; and when they expect to respond to the consultation on Statutory Storage Limits for eggs, sperm and embryos.

Lord Bethell: I responded to the noble Lady’s question on 12 March.The Department has been considering the responses to the public consultation about egg, sperm and embryo storage limits and options for a revised scheme. A Government response to the consultation will follow in due course.

Coronavirus: Screening and  Vaccination

Baroness Grey-Thompson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they take to ensure that information about disability accessibility at COVID-19 (1) vaccination centres, and (2) testing sites, is made available in accessible formats.

Lord Bethell: Vaccination centres are subject to the same standards to support people with accessibility needs as all health care services. The national booking letters are sent in size 16 font as standard as defined by RNIB as large print. As well as providing an option to book online, the national booking letters also provide 119 as an option. British Sign Language (BSL) and text relay services are also available from 119. Booking information for vaccination appointments will be available in braille, audio, larger print and easy read shortly. We are currently also translating this booking information into 16 different languages. NHS Test and Trace have a BSL video relay service for deaf and hearing-impaired people visiting a testing site, so they can receive instructions on how to take a test via a video call with a BSL interpreter, facilitated by a testing assistant. Live BSL translation is also available via 119. Non digital users can access the service by contacting the 119 call centre and book a test at all sites across the network.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to suspend without pay any NHS front line staff, and (2) to dismiss any administrative NHS staff, who refuse a COVID-19 vaccination.

Lord Bethell: There are no plans to do so. Whilst COVID-19 vaccines are not currently mandated for any groups, the Government strongly encourages healthcare and social care workers to be vaccinated in order to protect those that they care for.

Coronavirus: Screening

The Earl of Shrewsbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the roll-out of COVID-19 home testing kits, whether their preferred testing method is (1) a lateral flow test, or (2) a saliva-based test; and what are the reasons for any such preference.

Lord Bethell: Our preferred method of home testing is swab-based lateral flow devices (LFDs) for asymptomatic people and swab-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for symptomatic people. LFDs are used as they are practical, easy to interpret and can be used in a wide range of settings. PCR tests are used for those with symptoms as they are more sensitive to low levels of virus.

Coronavirus: Medical Records

Baroness Scott of Needham Market: To ask Her Majesty's Government under which SNOMED code patients with 'long COVID-19' symptoms are categorised.

Lord Bethell: The SNOMED-CT codes are as follows:- Acute COVID-19 infection (1325171000000109)- Ongoing symptomatic COVID-19 (1325181000000106)- Post-COVID-19 syndrome (1325161000000102)

Department for Education

Educational Institutions: Coronavirus

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what communications they have had with education trade unions since the reopening of schools on 8 March; and, further to any such communications, what assessment they have made of the current view of education trade unions on the merits of reopening educational settings.

Baroness Berridge: Ministers and officials have been in regular contact with education unions both in the run up to 8 March 2021 and beyond that date.Unions recognise the importance of face-to-face learning and the impact that being out of school has on children and young people.We continue to work with unions on keeping schools open and on ensuring that no child suffers because of lost education.

Cumbria University: Newton Rigg College

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the abolition of the Northwest Regional Development Agency on 31 March 2012, what plans they have to publish documents previously held by that Agency relating to (1) the Agency’s funding of the University of Cumbria’s acquisition of Newton Rigg College in Cumbria, and (2) the transfer of (a) assets, and (b) land, between Newton Rigg College and the University of Cumbria.

Baroness Berridge: The government has no plans to publish documents concerning the funding and transfer of assets and land relating to the University of Cumbria’s acquisition of Newton Rigg College in 2007.

Further Education: Apprentices

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to include funding for companies to train employees at further education colleges in the Apprenticeship Levy scheme.

Baroness Berridge: In the 2021-22 financial year, funding available for investment in apprenticeships in England is £2.5 billion, double what was spent in 2010-11. Employers can use this funding for the training and assessment of apprentices and can choose a training provider from our Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers, which may be a further education college, to deliver the high-quality training they need.From 1 April 2021, all small to medium-sized enterprises arranging new apprenticeship starts will do so through the apprenticeship service, as levy payers do now. This will give them more control over their apprenticeship choices and the ability to reserve funds before choosing the provider that best meets their needs.

Further Education: Mental Health Services

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they are taking to ensure that mental health literacy is part of all post 16 education programmes.

Baroness Berridge: Further education (FE) providers provide mental health support to their students in their wrap around, pastoral offer. This includes several initiatives supported by the department. For example, the department set up the ‘Wellbeing for Education Return’ scheme, an £8 million scheme funding expert advisers and training in every local authority area to support wellbeing recovery as children and young people returned to school and FE from September 2020.Some of the colleges funded through the £5.4 million College Collaboration Fund (CCF) are developing new ways to support student and staff mental health and wellbeing, including the ‘Let’s Chat’ programme developed by Weston College. Further information on the CCF is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/college-collaboration-fund-ccf-projects/resources-college-collaboration-fund-ccf. Once developed, these resources will be available to all further education providers online.More recently we have announced a £79 million boost to children and young people’s mental health support, including through Mental Health Support Teams. The support teams – which provide early intervention on mental health and emotional wellbeing issues in schools and colleges – will grow from the 59 set up by last March to around 400 by April 2023, supporting nearly 3 million children and young people. This increase means that millions of children and young people will have access to significantly expanded mental health services.We also know that some FE providers are creating their own innovative programmes to support student and staff mental health. The Sheffield College have rolled out their Uniheads mental health platform, which helps students develop good mental health knowledge and skills, build mental fitness and address poor mental health.

Free School Meals: Voucher Schemes

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Berridge on 14 January (HL Deb, col 882), what do they consider a reasonable maximum profit for a contractor to make on the new Edenred school food voucher scheme.

Baroness Berridge: The government has taken unprecedented and substantial action to ensure that children do not go hungry as we take measures to tackle COVID-19, including in relation to free school meals.Schools were free to decide the best approach for their free school meal pupils. They could provide lunch parcels, locally arranged vouchers, or the national voucher scheme.The department does not comment on the commercial arrangements of third parties, but can confirm that we are only paying for the face value of goods delivered, which in this case is vouchers.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners on Remand

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plansthey have to reduce the average length of time that prisoners spend on remand awaiting trial.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: Judges are prioritising the most urgent cases. We were one of the first among other comparable jurisdictions globally to resume jury trials, and Crown Courts currently list thousands of cases each week. Our systems show that where a defendant is in custody and had a first hearing in February 2021, most cases are listed for trial in the Crown Court prior to September 2021. In September 2020, Her Majesty’s Prison Probation Service (HMPPS) began a trial of a dedicated and proactive Bail Information Service (BIS) in several courts and prisons in the North West of England and Wales. This service provides the courts with timely information relating to the defendant and availability of alternative provisions, such as suitable accommodation, to help to reduce unnecessary remands and increase the appropriate use of bail and bail conditions. In tandem with this trial, HMPPS are rolling-out a Covid-19 response BIS in all public sector remand prisons. A key aim of both initiatives is to inform the design, resourcing and delivery of a future dedicated and proactive national BIS.

Pentonville Prison: Coronavirus

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to recognise the work of the Governor of HMP Pentonville during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The Ministry of Justice is not able to comment on an individual employee’s specific recognition or reward. We do however recognise that HMPPS staff in prisons, probation, headquarters and the Youth Custody Service have had an extraordinary and challenging year. There are recognition and reward procedures in place, and we offer a range of ways to recognise and thank individual members of staff for their particular efforts. This can take the form of personalised recognition, using performance recognition vouchers, or a gift. Special bonus payments may also be an appropriate recognition mechanism for exceptional performance contributions.

Prisons: Standards

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that best practices and lessons learned are (1) shared, (2) adopted, and (3) maintained, among prisons.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: Throughout the pandemic HMPPS has been identifying and sharing lessons learned. We have been listening to different perspectives and have paid attention to the challenges for staff and prisoners. We have considered the many examples of positive practice and have focussed our efforts to do the best for both staff and prisoners in very difficult circumstances. Learning lessons is an ongoing process and we continue to gather and share a range of information, including feedback from scrutiny bodies, staff, those in our care and the voluntary sector. We are feeding what we have learned into prison safety and wellbeing initiatives, regime redesign, planning and ongoing mitigations for prisoners. Prisons are also using lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic to prioritise resources to focus on safety and wellbeing, adapt provision, reinforce fair and decent behaviours and to show visible leadership. We are building on learning with a programme of events in the Spring which will be an opportunity for operational staff to share and reflect on learning from Covid to inform practice and both recovery and future reforms. More routinely, bespoke service improvement and work developed in response to common issues uses best practice and lessons learned. This takes place through line management activity, between peers, and through central support such as the Prison Performance Support Programme. HMPPS Scrutiny Intelligence unit routinely reviews all external scrutiny and internal assurance reports to draw out good practice and themes which are communicated to prisons and more widely across HMPPS. They also identify where lessons could be learned or implemented more effectively. Good practice and the areas requiring improvement are also reported each month to the Prison Performance Committee to ensure best practices and lessons learned are maintained among prisons.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

China: Uighurs

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report byNewlines Institute for Strategy and PolicyThe Uyghur Genocide: An Examination of China’s Breaches of the 1948 Genocide Convention, published on 8 March; and what plans they have to discuss its findings with the authors of that report.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government has noted the findings of the report. We will continue to engage with a wide range of experts and review all available evidence to inform our understanding of the situation in Xinjiang and to guide policy development. The Government remains deeply concerned by the human rights violations occurring in the region and continues to play a leading role in holding China to account, including at the UN.

China: Uighurs

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the case for establishing anUN independent investigative mechanism to investigate the situation of Uighurs in China.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: It is vitally important that China grants unfettered access to Xinjiang for the UN Human Rights Commissioner or another independent fact finding body, without further delay. The Foreign Secretary made the UK position on this issue clear in a high level intervention at the Human Rights Council on 22 February.

Palestinians: Politics and Government

Baroness Janke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel about their imprisonment of Palestinian politicians ahead of the Palestinian elections due to be held in May.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We welcome President Abbas' announcement of dates for legislative and Presidential elections in the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the first time since 2006. Elections are an important and necessary step towards democratic renewal and strong, inclusive and accountable Palestinian institutions, based on respect for the rule of law and human rights. We urge all parties, including all Palestinian political groups and the Israeli government, to play their part in delivering free, fair, credible and peaceful Palestinian elections.

Palestinians: Children

Baroness Janke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report byDefence for Children InternationalIsolated and Alone, published in December 2020; and, in particular, the finding that Palestinian children are routinely detained in solitary confinement for an average of more than 14 days for interrogation purposes.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of the Defense for Children's report entitled, 'Isolated and Alone: Palestinian children held in solitary confinement by Israeli authorities for interrogation'. We remain committed to working with Israel to secure improvements to the practices surrounding children in detention and regularly raise this with the Israeli Ministry of Justice, most recently on 23 February 2021. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv will continue to have a regular dialogue with Israel on this issue. We also fund projects providing legal aid to assist children with legal representation and capacity building assistance to local lawyers. We continue to call on the Israeli authorities to comply with their obligations under international law.

Occupied Territories: International Criminal Court

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision on 5 February that its jurisdiction extends to the Occupied Palestinian Territories, what assessment they have made of the implications of that decision for (1) the legitimacy of the ICC, and (2) the enforcement of its subsequent rulings.

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for the Israel and Palestine peace process of the decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on 5 February that the ICC’s jurisdiction extends to the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We respect the independence of the ICC, and we expect it to exercise due prosecutorial and judicial discipline.

Department for Work and Pensions

State Retirement Pensions: British Overseas Territories

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many citizens resident in each of the British Overseas Territories that has a reciprocal agreement on state pensions with the UK qualify for an annual uprating of their pensions.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The UK has reciprocal agreements with Bermuda and Gibraltar that cover state pensions. TerritoryNumber of UK state pension recipientsBermuda716Gibraltar1,770Source: StatXplore, August 2020

State Retirement Pensions: British Overseas Territories

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Stedman-Scott on 10 March (HL13814), what action does a British Overseas Territory without a reciprocal agreement on state pensions need to take to open negotiations on securing such an agreement.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Government has not received any recent representations for reciprocal social security agreements from British Overseas Territories without such an agreement.

State Retirement Pensions: British Overseas Territories

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the annual cost of uprating the state pensions of all citizens of British Overseas Territories that (1) have reciprocal agreements with the UK on state pensions, and (2) do not have such agreements.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The estimated annual cost of up-rating state pensions is calculated at UK level. The department has not made an estimate.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Environmental Land Management Scheme

Baroness Young of Old Scone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to use public funding in the new Environmental Land Management scheme for England to fund measures required by the cross-compliance rules for claiming rural payments.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Cross compliance and the rules they enforce are still in place and will continue to operate for the time being. Whilst farmers continue to receive a basic payment scheme payment or are part of most agri-environment schemes they will be subject to the cross-compliance rules. The rules within cross compliance are mostly in domestic legislation and will continue to apply as we move away from CAP schemes. We are working with stakeholders and end users to determine the specific land management actions that will be paid for under our new schemes that will pay farmers to improve the environment, improve animal health and welfare, and reduce carbon emissions. The Agricultural Transition Plan set out examples of the types of actions that we envisage paying for under the schemes. We have also recently published more details on the first phase of piloting the Sustainable Farming Incentive, including the actions we will pay farmers to take to manage their land in an environmentally sustainable way.

Agriculture: Environment Protection

Baroness Young of Old Scone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to maintain the requirements of (1) Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions 1: Establishment of buffer strips along watercourses, (2) Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions 4: Providing minimum soil cover, and (3) Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions 5: Minimising soil erosion, as set out in The guide to cross compliance in England 2021, published on 18 December 2020, as legal requirements for all farmers and land managers (a) during, and (b) following the end of, their proposed plans set out in The Path to Sustainable Farming: An Agricultural Transition Plan 2021 to 2024, published on 30 November 2020.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: We currently have regulations which protect water courses under the farming rules for water. Farming rules for water require land managers to leave unfertilised zones adjacent to watercourses and boreholes and to assess the pollution risk of fertilisers and manures they apply. The farming rules for water require land managers to take action to prevent soil loss caused by agricultural or horticultural activity. This does not require land managers to take the same specific action as in cross compliance but provide a generalised provision that has the same policy aim as GAECs 4 and 5. Additionally, the farming rules for water require farmers to manage livestock so as to prevent pollution. We are committed to maintaining standards and have domestic legislation which protects the environment, animal health and welfare, and plant health. We will continue to review this as necessary. We will look to use the most effective mechanism to deliver against environmental goals. It may be that another, non-regulatory mechanism is the most effective means to ensure that standards currently in cross compliance are maintained.

Agriculture: Environment Protection

Baroness Young of Old Scone: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to maintain the requirements of Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions 7a: Boundaries, as set out in The guide to cross compliance in England 2021, published on 18 December 2020, as a legal requirement for all farmers and land managers (1) during, and (2) after the end of, their proposed plans set out in the The Path to Sustainable Farming: An Agricultural Transition Plan 2021 to 2024, published on 30 November 2020.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Hedgerows and field boundaries are the very essence of our British countryside. They provide vital resources for mammals, birds and inspect species. As well as being an important habitat in their own right, they act as wildlife corridors allowing dispersal between isolated habitats. Many are also important historical and cultural landscape features. We are committed to maintaining standards and have domestic legislation which protects the environment, animal health and welfare, and plant health. We will continue to review this as necessary. We will look to use the most effective mechanism to deliver against environmental goals. It may be that another, non-regulatory mechanism is the most effective means to ensure that standards currently in cross compliance are maintained.

Agriculture: Regulation

Baroness Young of Old Scone: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byBaroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist on 15 September 2020 (HL Deb, col 1187), when they plan to open the “intensive consultation” on a new regulatory framework for farming.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Our future regulatory system will be developed with a focus on the environment and animal health and welfare, on developing trust between industry and government. We want to deliver an effective transition from the existing regulatory model, mostly delivered through cross compliance, to the new approach based on established good practice and developed in partnership with the sector. We are committed to working with industry to design a system that supports a more resilient sector producing high quality food in a more sustainable way. Co-designing and establishing a new regulatory model for the long term, will take time and we want to work with the sector and others impacted by regulation to get it right. We will always ensure that we have a robust system of inspection and enforcement in place to maintain regulatory protections. Involving users (e.g. farmers, land managers, users of the environment) through co-design is key to developing a modern regulatory approach that works, both for users and regulators. These participatory approaches are intended to work alongside and compliment more traditional engagement with citizens and industry, such as consultation. Consultation is still an important engagement method and we will, of course, consult widely on future proposals at the appropriate time.

Home Office

Offences against Children

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 14 January (HL11680), as part of their report Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation Characteristics of Offending, published in December 2020, whether (1) the Home Office, or (2) the External Reference Group, considered the report of the Quilliam Foundation Group Based Child Sexual Exploitation – Dissecting Grooming Gangs, published on 12 December 2017; and, if so, what assessment they made of the finding of that report that 84 per cent of perpetrators had Asian heritage, of which the majority were (1) British-Pakistani, and (2) Muslim.

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 14 January (HL11680), as part of their report Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation Characteristics of Offending, whether any members of their External Reference Group sought to include Islamic teaching among the cultural drivers for offending; and if so, how many.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: It is important to acknowledge and address the cultural contexts in which group-based child sexual exploitation occurs, and this is something the External Reference Group (ERG) considered at length. However, no member of the Group sought to include Islamic teaching as a driver for offending.The ERG was established with the specific purpose of reviewing and informing the paper, ‘Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation Characteristics of Offending’. The ERG did not specifically discuss Quilliam’s report. However, as part of its work in producing the paper, the Home Office published an independently peer-reviewed literature review, which considered published studies of group-based child sexual exploitation. The literature review made the following assessment:Research by Quilliam asserted that 84% of 264 offenders convicted for grooming gang offences between 2005 and 2017 were Asian, 8% were Black, 7% were White and 1% were of unknown ethnicity. This figure of 84% has been widely repeated as academic evidence for an extreme over-representation of Asian offenders despite a lack of clarity about sampling and data analysis methods. For example, the authors identify 264 offenders, but do not specify how they were found, or how their ethnicity was categorised. These findings are therefore not suitable for drawing conclusions about ethnicity of group-based CSE offenders.When publishing the paper, the Home Secretary expressed her disappointment in the quality of data on the characteristics of offending and committed to addressing this issue. As such, in the new national Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Strategy, the Government commits to engaging with criminal justice partners, academics, think tanks, charities and frontline professionals on improving the range, quality and analysis of data collected, to help protect children by preventing and detecting offending.

Asylum: Napier Barracks

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister for Immigration Compliance and Justice on 8 February (148930), when the recommendations of the independent rapid review by Human Applications will be published.

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister for Immigration Compliance and Justice on 8 February (148930), when they plan to hold roundtables with stakeholders to discuss (1) the recommendations, (2) actions taken, and (3) proposed next steps, arising from the independent rapid review by Human Applications.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office contracted with an independent organisation, Human Applications, to conduct a rapid review of initial accommodation for single adult asylum seekers, including hotels and the former military barracks. This was to provide assurance of compliance with public health guidelines to prevent the transmission of Covid 19Human Applications completed their visits, which included both the Napier and Penally sites, and they have now submitted a report with their findings and recommendations. Once we have responded to the report, we intend to share a summary of the findings and actions taken with key stakeholders.We have already shared the report with accommodation providers to allow them to action specific findings.The roundtables were held between 16-26 February, with stakeholders from Local Authorities, Statutory Bodies, Strategic Migration Partnerships and Non-Governmental Organisations; recommendations were shared to inform discussions on the day.An action plan to move these recommendations forward is being developed, and stakeholders will be consulted, and progress reported through our usual engagement routes; Asylum Strategic Engagement Group, Asylum Support Subgroups, SMP weekly meetings and HO, Local Government Chief Executives meeting.The recommendations from this review were shared on the 9 March with the Home Affairs Select Committee together with actions taken to address these recommendations.

Hassockfield Secure Training Centre

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have for an immigration centre for women on the former site of Hassockfield Secure Training Centre.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office has acquired the former Hassockfield Secure Training Centre in County Durham and will open it as an immigration removal centre (IRC) for around 80 women by the autumn.The immigration removal estate is kept under ongoing review, to ensure that the Home Office has sufficient capacity for men and women it proves necessary to detain for the purposes of removal, and to protect the public; and to provide value for money.

Hate Crime

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 5 December 2018 (HL Deb, col 1019), whether the definition of a hate crime used by the police and Crown Prosecution Service has been (1) debated, and (2) approved, by Parliament; and if so, when.

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 5 December 2018 (HL Deb, col 1019), how many UK citizens have a non crime hate incident registered on their police record but have not been (1) charged with, or (2) found guilty of, such an offence.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The police and Crown Prosecution Service define and record hate crime as “any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person's race or perceived race; religion or perceived religion; sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation; disability or perceived disability and any crime motivated by hostility or prejudice against a person who is transgender or perceived to be transgender.”This definition has been produced for operational purposes. Any arrest, charge or prosecution taken forward by the police or Crown Prosecution Service must relate to a criminal offence laid out in legislation that has been approved by Parliament.Information on how many UK citizens have a hate crime registered on their police record but have not been (1) charged with, or (2) found guilty of, such an offence is not held centrally.

Offences against Children: Rotherham

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Rotherham, published on 21 August 2014; and in particular the finding that more than 1,400 girls were estimated to be the victims of child sexual exploitation.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Child sexual abuse is an abhorrent crime and this Government is committed to keeping children and young people safe from all forms of abuse, including child sexual exploitation.The National Crime Agency’s Operation Stovewood in Rotherham is the largest historical child sexual exploitation investigation undertaken to date in this country, and continues to investigate these offences, with more than 170 people arrested to date. Since 2016-17, we have provided £31.1 million of special grant funding to South Yorkshire Police towards the cost of Operation Stovewood. We have also made significant increases to funding for victims, including doubling funding for national services which support victims of child sexual abuse.This funding forms part of a comprehensive package of measures the Government has set out to prevent offending and help victims and survivors of abuse. The recently published Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Strategy sets out how we will drive action across every part of Government, across all agencies, all sectors, charities, communities, technology companies and society more widely to tackle child sexual abuse in all its forms, including group-based child sexual exploitation.

Cabinet Office

UK Relations with EU: Northern Ireland

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they have provided about the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland; and its implications for people in (1) Great Britain, and (2) Northern Ireland.

Lord Frost: Comprehensive guidance on what the Protocol means for people and businesses in Great Britain and Northern Ireland is available online. In particular, details of available support and of specific processes for different kinds of goods movements (whether by traders or individuals) is available at this link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/trading-and-moving-goods-in-and-out-of-northern-ireland.

Treasury

Self-employment Income Support Scheme: Arts

Baroness Bull: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 12 March (HL Deb, col 1980), what assessmentthey have made of the impact of the eligibility criteria for the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme on the creative industries; andwhat plans they have to introduce targeted support to ineligible freelance workers.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Government recognises that taxpayers have faced immense challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, including in the creative industries. Freelancers who are ineligible for the SEISS are likely to be those who receive less than half of their income from self-employment. The design of the SEISS, including the eligibility criteria which require that an individual’s trading profits must be at least equal to their non-trading income, means it is targeted at those who are most reliant on their self-employment income. Freelancers who are ineligible for the SEISS may be eligible for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). The CJRS is available to individuals regardless of their employment contract or employment rights, as long as they meet the relevant eligibility criteria. The Government recognises the value of the cultural sectors and has announced £300 million in additional funding to build on the existing £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund. To date, the Culture Recovery Fund has allocated more than £800 million of grants and loans to over 3,000 cultural organisations in England. Organisations supported include independent cinemas, theatres, museums, orchestras and music venues.

Off-payroll Working

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of changes to the off-payroll working rules due to come into effect from 6 April on freelancers; and what steps they are taking to ensure that it is financially viable for freelancers to continue operating as self-employed individuals.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The changes to the off-payroll working rules come into effect on 6 April 2021 and were legislated for in Finance Act 2020. The off-payroll working rules have been in place for over 20 years and are designed to ensure that individuals working like employees but through their own limited company pay broadly the same Income Tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs) as those who are directly employed. The Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN)[1] published at Spring Budget 2021 sets out HMRC’s assessment that the reform of the off-payroll working rules is expected to affect about 180,000 individuals working through their own limited companies. The changes to the off-payroll working rules do not introduce a new tax liability. Those who are complying with the existing rules should feel little impact on their income. The measure is targeted at individuals who are not compliant with the existing rules, and it shifts responsibility for determining an individual’s status from the individual’s limited company to the client engaging them. These individuals will be required to pay tax at the correct levels and will therefore face additional tax liabilities. However, there will be continuing savings for the individual’s limited company as they will no longer have the requirement to determine status or associated accounting burdens. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/off-payroll-working-rules-from-april-2021/off-payroll-working-rules-from-april-2021

Corporation Tax: Northern Ireland

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Northern Ireland Executive about the UK Government's decision to increase the level of corporation tax.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The UK Government and Northern Ireland Executive have regular discussions at official and Ministerial level on matters of mutual interest.

Free Zones: Northern Ireland

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of the Northern Ireland Protocol for the selection of any Northern Ireland ports as freeports.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: We want to ensure that the whole of the UK can benefit from Freeports. The UK Government is holding ongoing discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive to establish at least one Freeport in Northern Ireland as soon as possible. The Northern Ireland Protocol does not prevent the establishment of Freeports in Northern Ireland. However, it is appropriate that we take the time, working with the Northern Ireland Executive, to ensure the Freeport offer fully aligns with the circumstances in Northern Ireland and our international obligations, and delivers for ports, businesses and communities in Northern Ireland.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

Hybrid Bills

Lord Berkeley: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether he plans to initiate a review of hybrid Bill procedures; and if so, when he expects to start that review and when it will invite evidence.

Lord McFall of Alcluith: In 2016, a review of hybrid bill procedure was commissioned by the Senior Deputy Speaker and the Chairman of Ways and Means in the House of Commons. It was planned to take place in two stages. The first stage was completed in 2017 and resulted in a number of changes to the Private Business Standing Orders in both Houses. On the 22 March, I wrote to the Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal informing her that a consultation in relation to the second stage would begin soon. It will last for two to three months. It will be a public consultation and evidence will be invited. This is a joint review, and the Chairman of Ways and Means has written to the Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons in similar terms.